Naked cruising, it's got to be the next big thing.
I took my Kingpin into SFI today to get new bars fitted and was offered the chance to take out the 2009 Vegas 8-ball demo they had in the shop. Fitted with Ness fly bars and shotgun pipes it was a picture of stripped down beauty and it took me all of a nano second to agree.
Getting on I immediately loved the position of the bars (not coincidentally they are the same ones being fitted to my 'pin) and the rumbles of the shotguns pipes on start up gave a hint of fun times to come. I rolled away heading south on the motorway trying to think of a nice wee route to follow.
My first impressions were a mixture of glee at the responsiveness of the bike and chagrin at how flabby I have become behind the protection of the windshield on my bike. 10 minutes at a bit over legal speed and I was wondering if I was going to be able to make it anywhere.
Fortunately the misgivings of my puny forearms did not last too long and I turned off SH2 onto the short run across to Mercer to see how this beastie handled.
Whoo baby! Fun with a capital F. The riding position combined with the light weight and responsive throttle (the ECU map for the shotgun pipes gives maximum stock horsepower for the 100ci engine) was providing something close to cruiser/muscle bike nirvana. I had wondered if I was going to miss the 6th gear overdrive. In reflection now - I may never use it again. From the turn off from SH2 to the 50kmh area through Mercer I only downshifted once.
Torque is a visceral thing on the 8-ball and not worrying about picking the right gear for a corner leaves you free to concentrate on all the other fun stuff. I got so carried away with the sheer exuberance of it that I began to harken back to days of yore when I used to ride sportsbikes and I realised I was trying to put my knee out/down! On a big American cruiser!
Now - before any misunderstandings arise let me hasten to add that, not only was there no danger of actually putting my knee down, said knee probably remained a metre off the tarmac at all times. It was just the way the bike felt that encouraged me to fling it about with wild abandon and generally have a complete ball. Anyone watching would probably have been on the phone to a mental health hotline............but I could not have cared less!.
A quick pitstop at Muddy Waters for a cool Pure and then out towards Pukekawa and SH22 before heading back through Drury and the shop at Takanini. By this time I was enamoured and looking for more places to have fun, and show off.
Yes, I admit it. I wanted to be seen on this bike. I'm still that same fat balding executive I was when I started but I was on a stripped down beast of black fury that leapt at every urging and sounded like the forge of Valhalla.
I can report that manic laughter at 100 odd kmh sounds like "muaff auff afff aff muuurrff".
All too soon I was on and off the motorway again and roling back into the shop where my newly outfitted bike awaited me. It may have been my imagination but the 'pin looked slightly peeved.
There no law against having 2 bikes right?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by AD345
)
As for two bikes that no problem it's running them that problem starts 
Bookmarks